Community Outreach

All items sold on this website are reproductions (replicas). All Bone Clones® products are made in the USA. No real or natural bone material is available on this site.

In our continued effort to provide the academic and scientific community with the finest in osteological replicas, we are proud to participate in local events in schools, universities and museums in Southern California as part of community outreach. Our goal is to inspire and motivate students and interested persons to pursue their interests in science by providing exposure to the world of bones and osteology. Knowledge of osteology and how the skeleton works to provide support for an organism is a fundamental skill important in many careers and disciplines, including biological anthropology, bioarchaeology, human biology, medicine, physical therapy, physiology, zoology, paleontology, forensic science and pathology. With over 2500 osteological replicas ranging from humans to komodo dragons to fossil hominids, we hope to inspire interest in the form and function of the skeletal system.

Long Beach Career Day Event

On June 2, 2017 Bone Clones participated in the Long Beach College Promise Middle School Future Career Fair. This 3 day event, held at California State University, Long Beach, hosted over 6000 middle school students from across Southern California. Various companies and institutions participated in the event, including architectural firms, civil engineering firms, oil companies, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies and the USC School of Engineering. Bone Clones presented a table full of skeletal replicas, where research specialist Michelle Tabencki demonstrated the differences in skulls between human males and females, specifically the mastoid process size relative to males and females. Students were encouraged to "feel" their own mastoid process behind their ears.

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair Outreach Day May 18, 2017

Each year, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair invites over 1,700 science fair winners from local, regional, state and national competitions to compete in the world's largest pre-college science competition. From May 14th—May 19, 2017, these young innovators gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center to celebrate their accomplishments in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and competed for $4 million dollars in awards and scholarships. Students came from all over the world and for many it was a life-changing experience to interact with like-minded peers from different cultural backgrounds, esteemed judges and others passionate about science.

Bone Clones participated in the Educational Outreach Day Program: LA STEM Experience on May 18, 2017. In addition to the science fair attendees, over 5,000 Southern California middle school and high school students participated in the Outreach Day, engaging in various STEM activities. Bone Clones "How to Read Skulls" activity demonstrated how to identify features of human and animal skulls that indicate human male or female, how to assess human ancestry, what an animal eats, and the habitat animals may inhabit. Students were thrilled to see the variety of human and animal bones on display.

California State Science Fair - 2017

Since 1952, the California State Science Fair is the final science fair of the academic year for middle and high school students throughout California. This 66th Science Fair took place April 24-25, 2017 and was hosted by the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles and featured over 900 students competing for top honors spanning 22 categories ranging from alternative energy to zoology in two age divisions and were judged by a pool of 400 scientists and engineers from the private sector and higher education. Winners were selected from each category in addition to a number of honorable mentions. Judges selected projects that had followed the scientific method with clear hypotheses, solid research methodologies and conclusions.

Bone Clones Research Specialist Michelle Tabencki was a Recognition Judge in the Junior Division for the Mammalian Biology category and presented the Bone Clones Research Award to Evelyn Tran. Her project examined push-pull dynamics, the effect pushing muscles have on successive exercises. Inspired by her own goal of improving her ability to do pull-ups, she examined the correlation of doing push-up exercises before performing pull-up exercises. She concluded that doing push-ups to failure, a 30 second rest then performing pull-ups to failure had a significant effect in improving the amount of pull-ups. This is because the secondary muscles used in the push-up are the primary muscles used in the pull-up; these muscles are therefore warmed up before performing the pull-up exercise. A future exercise therapist perhaps? Congratulations to Evelyn and all the inspiring participants at the Fair!

California State Science Fair - 2016

The 65th annual California State Science Fair, featuring over 900 of California’s brightest students from middle school to high school, was held on May 23-24, 2016 at the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles. Students competed for top honors spanning 22 categories ranging from alternative energy to zoology in two age divisions and were judged by a pool of 400 scientists and engineers from the private sector and higher education. Winners were selected from each category in addition to a number of honorable mentions. Judges selected projects that had followed the scientific method with clear hypotheses, solid research methodologies and conclusions.

Bone Clones Research Specialist Michelle Tabencki was a Recognition Judge in the Junior Division for the Mammalian Biology category and presented the Bone Clones Research Award to Aneal Singh. His project examined the ratio of straining between the quadriceps muscle and the patellar tendon when bending the knee at various angles. He created a spectacular artificial human leg using wood planks, hinges, a 2 inch spring “quadriceps muscle” and a guitar string “patellar tendon”. This artificial leg was able to bend and demonstrate the angle at which the greatest strain was placed on the patellar tendon. Not an easy task. Congratulations to Aneal and all the inspiring participants at the Fair!

Career Day at LA Academy Middle School

Bone Clones was proud to be a part of LA Academy Middle School's Career Day event on March 10, 2016. Professionals from various disciplines such as graphic design, journalism, law enforcement, computer programming, and museum studies spoke to the kids about how they came into their careers. Research Specialist Michelle Tabencki brought Bone Clones skulls and discussed the differences in teeth between carnivores and herbivores and how to tell the difference between human male and female skulls. But the most popular skull by far that the students enjoyed was the Gaboon viper skull!

Magnolia Science Academy 5

On Friday September 25, 2015, Bone Clones was thrilled to participate in the first assembly of the school year at the Magnolia Science Academy 5 in Reseda, California. This facility is located on the Reseda High School campus with approximately 150 students in Grades 6 - 8. This public charter school is dedicated to college preparatory education with an emphasis on STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math). Dedicated faculty engage student’s learning through various innovative and exciting activities, such as use of Khan Academy for study skill classes, robotics clubs and competitions, and field trips to the Getty Villa. Bone Clones Research Specialist Michelle Tabencki demonstrated how osteology can help to identify skeletal specimens. Students were shown how to tell the difference between male and female human skulls, which skeletal features to look for to differentiate coyote and fox skulls, and how to identify skeletal pathology. They responded enthusiastically when encouraged to feel their own skulls to help understand skeletal features. Bone Clones® osteological reproductions are a unique asset in bringing science to the classroom, whether in lessons of comparative anatomy, forensic investigation or biological diversity.

California State Science Fair - 2015

The 64th annual California State Science Fair, featuring over 900 of California’s brightest students from middle school to high school, was held on May 18-19, 2015 at the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles. Students competed for top honors spanning 22 categories ranging from alternative energy to zoology in two age divisions and were judged by a pool of 400 scientists and engineers from the private sector and higher education. Winners were selected from each category in addition to a number of honorable mentions. Judges selected projects that had followed the scientific method with clear hypotheses, solid research methodologies and conclusions.

Bone Clones Research Specialist Michelle Tabencki was a judge in the Junior Division for the Mammalian Biology category and presented the Bone Clones Special Recognition Award to Grace J. Davis for her research in reaction time and how it is affected by age. Congratulations to Grace and all the inspiring participants at the Fair.

California State University, Los Angeles Forensic Symposium

On April 10, 2015 Bone Clones participated in the Forensic Symposium at CSULA. This symposium was organized by the students in Forensic Science Student Association, an organization uniting the forensic disciplines across CSULA and featured presentations by professors and professionals working in forensic science in Los Angeles. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mark Fajardo and Senior Criminalist Margaret Kaleuati, both from the LA County Coroners Office, presented topics in trauma analysis and dealing with celebrity deaths. Dr. Katherine Roberts, Director of the California Forensic Science Institute and Dr. David Raymond, professor of mechanical engineering and biomechanics spoke about encouraging students to expand their knowledge in forensic science and servicing the community. Bone Clones featured products useful in teaching osteology, trauma analysis and skeletal pathology.

LA Academy Middle School Career Day

On March 18, 2015 Bone Clones was proud to participate in a Career Day event at LA Academy Middle School in Los Angeles. This public middle school enrolls up to 1500 students, grades 6th-8th with 17 students per teacher. The dedication of the principal and staff is reflected in the expanding Honors program and in students going on to attend prestigious schools, such as Harvard-Westlake and UCLA. This Career Day event featured professionals from various fields, speaking about their experiences in education, internships and career paths. Bone Clones Research Specialist Michelle Tabencki encouraged students to consider unique academic interests and career options, such as osteology.